The License Plate Game is one of the oldest and most popular road trip scavenger hunt games. It turns boring, hours-long drives into an engaging, family-friendly activity. The goal is simple: spot as many unique state license plates as possible during your drive!
Traditional Game Rules
In the classic version of the game, players look out the windows of the car to spot license plates on passing vehicles, parked cars at rest areas, or trucks on the highway.
- Spotting: A player must actively see the license plate on a car on the road or in a public parking lot.
- Checking off states: Once a plate is spotted, you check it off your list. In our app, you simply scroll to the state, look through the plate categories and tap on the plate to check it off. You can also use the search capability to quickly find plates.
- No duplicates: Traditionally a spotted state or plate only counts once per trip checklist.
- Collaborative vs. Competitive: Families can either work together as a single team to collect all 50 states, or play against each other to see who can spot the most individual plates.
Advanced Scoring Rules
If you want to spice up the game on long travel vacations, you can introduce point systems to reward spotting rare or distant plates:
- Home State Plate: Worth 1 point (since they are very common).
- Neighboring State Plates: Worth 2 points.
- Distant State Plates: Worth 5 points (e.g., spotting a Florida plate while driving through Washington state).
- Non-contiguous: Worth 10 points (e.g., Alaska or Hawaii).
Scavenger Hunt Tips for Road Trips
Looking to check off those hard-to-find states like Alaska, Hawaii, or Rhode Island? Here are a few expert tracking tips:
- Scout Large Rest Stops: Major highway plazas, truck stops, and tourist centers are goldmines for out-of-state travelers.
- Watch Interstate Semis: Long-haul truck drivers frequently register their fleets in states like Indiana, Illinois, and Maine. Keep an eye on truck cabs!
- Visit National Parks: National parks and popular amusement parks draw families from every corner of the country.
- Safety First: If you are the driver, your hands must remain on the wheel and your eyes on the road. Let your passengers (kids, friends) act as the active collectors!
Modern Tracking with Cross Country Collector
Say goodbye to messy pencils, clipboards, and lost paper printouts. With Cross Country Collector, you can track multiple road trips simultaneously, view state statistics, identify rare specialty agency plates, and synchronize your progress offline. Download the app today on Android to start your next collection!
